Class
Date
Name
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On_e of the major figures in the history of lexicography, the compilation of dictionaries, is Samuel
Johnson (1709-1784). At the age of thirty-six, Johnson began an enormous task—writing the first
major,English dictionary. During the next nine years, Johnson wrote definitions for more than 40,000
words and selected 114,000 quotations from the finest English writing on various academic subjects.
His Dictionary ofthe English Language was a monumental achievement. It was the model for all English
dictionaries to come for more than a century.
In the following exercises, you will have the opportunity to expand your vocabulary by reading about
the personality and work of English lexicographer and writer Samuel Johnson. Below are ten Vocabulary Words that will be used in these exercises.
precocious
obsequious
germane
e~ilaration
civility
punctilious
patrimony
gregarious
foible
connoisseur
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Dli'~CtIOI~S, Follow these instructions for this word and the nine words on the next page.
• Figure out the word's meani ng by looking at its context,its structure, and its sound. Fill in at least
one of the three CSS boxes. Alternate which boxes you complete.
• Then,lookup the word in a dictionary, read all of its meanings, and write the meaning of the word
as it is used in the sentence.
• Follow this same process for each of the Vocabulary Words on the next page. You will need to draw
your own map for each'word. Use a separate sheet of paper.
a
z
1.
civility
m
a
In an act of civility,Johnson's publisher asked the Earl of Chesterfield, a
respected diplomat,to serve as public sponsor of the Dictionary project.
Chesterfield responded favorably to the courtesy.
C
O
y
C
U
Structure:
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DIC~IOIIaYj/:
M AKING IVEW WORDS YOUR OWN
Date
Name
Class
connoisseur
Johnson became a connoisseur of words as he compiled the Dictionary. He
became an expert on word meanings,usage, history, and fine shades of
meaning.
exhilaration
As work on the Dictionary began,the exhilaration must have been great in
Johnson's "dictionary workshop," located in the attic of his house. One
reason for Johnson's high spirits was the hope that the Dictionary would
establish his reputation.
foible
Johnson's strengths as well as his faults have been well documented in
various biographies. One foible that he had to overcome while working on
the Dictionary was impatience.
punctilious
Johnson was extremely punctilious about facts. When people later quizzed
him about the details of compiling the Dictionary, Jo~inson provided preciseinformation on the procedures he had followed.
- -
6,
gregarious
Johnson was gregarious,and his sociable manner brought him many friends.
He had a great circle of admirers who loved to hear his pronouncements
obsequious
'The six assistants whom Johnson employed for the Dictionary project were
very poor when they were hired. Despite Johnson's generosity toward
these men,they probably were not obsequious. Johnson would have discouragedany flattering,fawning behavior toward himself.
z
N
N
N
L
m
germane
The fact that France,Italy, and Spain had already produced great dictionarieswas germane to Johnson's project. It was pertinent because Johnson
acted partly in the interest of national pride: He wanted England's dictionary toequal or surpass those of the other countries.
a
0
3
t
precocious
It is impressive that Johnson worked on the Dictionary during the prime of his
life,not at the close of his literary career. Who knows:If Johnson had been a
precocious child,he might have begun the dictionary at the age of ten!
0
z
0
m
.~
a
0
U
1 e
patrimony
LEssory 13
r
Johnson left Noah Webster and other later lexicographers an impressive
patrimony. We know that Webster accepted the legacy because he borrowed thousands of definitions from Johnson's Dictionary.
___ Date
Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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words are used
mn A. Then, think about how the boldface
DII'eCtlO►1S. Scan the definitions in Colu
mn A with the
the exercise, match each definition in Colu
in the sentences in Column B. To complete
provided; then
B. Write the letter of your choice on the line
correct Vocabulary Word from Column
eding the definition.
write the Vocabulary Word on the line prec
; •
COLUMN B
11. word:
adj. outgoing; sociable
my
(A) A greatly appreciated patrimony left by
son's
John
of
copy
a
father's great-grandfather is
age.
Langu
sh
Engli
two-volume Dictionary of the
12. word:
n. high spirits; invigoration; excitement
about lexi(B) My father, who is very knowledgeable
books,
rare
of
ur
oisse
cography as well as a conn
keeps the dictionary in a safe.
13. word:
n. an inheritance from one's father or
ancestors; any heritage or legacy
rare
(C) He is punctilious about caring for these
s to
glove
s
wear
even
leather-bound books. He
handle them.
14. word:
adj. too ready to please, praise, or obey;
servile; fawning
recalls
(D) My father was a precocious child and
nary at the
dictio
the
memorizing definitions from
age of four.
15.
hood,
(E) Iknow more stories about my father's child
fore
there
and
phy
but they are not about lexicogra
.
topic
would not be germane to this
16. word:
e is
(F) My mother says that my father's only foibl
this is
think
t
I
don'
h.
talking about words too muc
a serious deficiency at all!
word:
n. politeness; courtesy; a polite action
adj. pertinent; to the point; truly relevant
17. word:
ng attention to the fine details of
payi
adj.
etiquette; meticulous; scrupulous; very
exact
18. word:
r weakness or fault; a minor but
mino
a
n.
persistent personal failing; a shortcoming
19.
word:
n. someone who is an expert in some field,
especially in art or in matters of taste
20. word:
ing unusually early development;
show
adj.
or
mature advanced for one's age
cially
(G) His exhilaration about the subject, espe
enthumy
to
adds
nts,
about Johnson's achieveme
siasm about dictionaries.
tenden(H) He is very gregarious, and in groups his
stranglete
comp
to
tallc
cies are evident—he will
ture.
litera
ers about dictionaries and
want to
(I) Always aware of his manners, he does not
listenif
his
only
il
deta
bore anyone and goes into
his
ciate
appre
usly
obvio
ers seem interested. They
civility.
may
(J) Some people are a little obsequious; they
use
beca
him
to
nice
be
seem a little too eager to
they feel intimidated.
MAKING NEW WORDS YOUR OWN